WFAN long-time employee Mike Francesa, just before his show. Francesa...

WFAN long-time employee Mike Francesa, just before his show. Francesa commented about the stations 25th anniversary. This is for a feature from Neil Best on the station's history and future in New York and the region. (June 19, 2012) Photo by Craig Ruttle

Michael Kay's first day on the YES Network averaged 0.61 percent of New York- area homes, a promising start for the ESPN Radio host's new TV simulcast.

(Mike Francesa's simulcast usually averaged in the 0.2-0.3 range; time will tell whether Kay can perform at or near that level over an extended period.)

The tune-in factor might have been helped by the social media storm that followed Kay opening his show by dumping a full bottle of diet Coke into a garbage can - a not-so-veiled shot at his YES predecessor, Francesa.

When a caller asked about the incident Tuesday Francesa reiterated his comments to Newsday on Monday: "It was a loser move. It was a classless move. There was no reason to do it, OK?

"But that reflects on them, it doesn't reflect on me. I'm not worried about it. Listen, we all know what shows are what. We all know how the shows stack up. I mean that's not a secret to anybody."

Later, Francesa told a caller that the Yankees did not want him on the channel, because, "They only want people on the YES Network who they can tell what to do."

Speaking of Francesa, where might his WFAN radio show - which currently is off TV - end up?

Francesa promised to answer listeners' questions on that matter on the air Tuesday, but it's not clear how much detail he will get into. He said Monday he probably would return to TV around April 1. Tuesday he said the hope is that he will be back on TV in time for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Fox Sports 1 has emerged as a strong contender for the show and might have the edge over MSG and other outlets.

If Francesa does end up on FS1, he and Kay both will have their radio shows simulcast on Fox-owned channels. The company is in the process of upping its ownership stake in YES to 80 percent.

One big happy family!

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